FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to diving equipment, including SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) diving equipment having a compressed air tank and regulator, as well as shallow water diving equipment such as a snorkel. More particularly, the invention relates to a mouthpiece for attachment to an underwater speaker or to a SCUBA diving regulator, with or without an underwater speaker, or a snorkel with or without an underwater speaker, to facilitate underwater speech. The mouthpiece of this invention is designed to be used in two positions. The first position conventionally used in normal SCUBA and snorkel diving includes placing the lips over the outside convex curvature of the mouthpiece lip cup, leaving the edge of the lip cup between the lips and gums of the diver. In a second or "talk" position, the lips are typically retracted behind the lip cup into the concave curvature of the lip cup and the jaw teeth are tightened on a pair of elongated, functionally shaped jaw teeth grips or bites extending from the lip cup rearwardly of the mouthpiece to match the bite of the jaw or molar teeth and facilitate movement of the lips and underwater conversation. The underwater speaker is characterized by dual, flexible membranes attached at a common perimeter and designed to pulse and flex in response to the diver or snorkeler's breath and speech to facilitate substantial matching of the internal air and external water impedance and allow underwater enunciation.
One of the problems which has long been apparent in diving, including SCUBA diving, as well as snorkeling and free diving, is the inability to effectively communicate while the diver's head is underwater. This difficulty is in part, the result of conventional diving mouthpieces which are typically mounted on the regulator of the SCUBA gear and the bottom end of the snorkeling tube, which mouthpieces tend to maintain the lips in a fixed position over the convex surface of the curved lip cup of the mouthpiece. Since the conventional mouthpiece teeth grips are short and designed for engagement primarily by the front teeth, the lips are not free to articulate and form words while positioned over the convex outer surface of the mouthpiece.
Since the acoustic impedance of air and water is different, speech in the air medium by a diver tends to reflect from a membrane or diaphragm separating the air medium from the water environment in various prior art devices. The flexible dual diaphragms in the underwater speaker of this invention, especially when used with a specially designed mouthpiece, facilitates substantial matching of these dissimilar impedances by a dual pulsing and flexing action and allows clear underwater speech.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a mouthpiece for underwater speech, which mouthpiece is designed to mount the regulator of a SCUBA diving apparatus or the bottom end or mouthpiece receptacle of a snorkeling tube, and has rearwardly-extending, elongated, serpentine or curved jaw teeth grips of sufficient length and curvature to substantially match the molar teeth configuration and facilitate freeing the lips while maintaining the mouthpiece in position at the mouth and allowing underwater conversation.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved, mechanically voice-driven underwater speaker for undertaking underwater speech, which is used with a mouthpiece designed to mount on the second stage regulator of a SCUBA diving apparatus and the bottom end of a snorkeling tube apparatus and/or directly on the dual membrane underwater speaker, the mouthpiece also typically fitted with a connector for attachment to the regulator or snorkel, a lip cup extending from the connector and a pair of shaped, serpentine or curved elongated jaw teeth grips or bites extending from the lip cup for gripping by the jaw teeth and facilitating movement and articulation of the lips and resulting underwater conversation while the mouthpiece is still in position at the diver's mouth. The underwater speaker is attached to the mouthpiece, either in connection with a second stage regulator or a snorkel, such that the pair of flexible membranes, joined at a common perimeter, may fill with air, pulse and flex without stretching or resonating, responsive to the diver or snorkeler's breath and speech.
Still another object of the invention is to provide new and improved, flexible, resilient mouthpiece, underwater speaker and snorkel assemblies, which mouthpiece has a conventional regulator/snorkel connector for attachment to a conventional SCUBA diving regulator or snorkeling tube, a convex/concave lip cup extending from the regulator/snorkel connector and a pair of typically serpentine or curved jaw teeth grips extending from the concave side of the lip cup to allow gripping of the elongated teeth grips or bites by the jaw teeth and retraction of the lips from the convex surface to the concave surface behind the lip cup, thus freeing the lips for articulation and underwater conversation by continued gripping of the teeth grips with the jaw teeth. The underwater speaker includes flexible elements, diaphragms or membranes, joined at a common perimeter and designed to expand and partially deflate, flex or pulse with the air pressure or pulsation of the diver or snorkeler's breath and voice as he or she speaks beneath the surface of the water.